INSCRIPTED REALITIES

My chest felt heavy as his words echoed in my head. ‘But you don’t deserve to-’

‘No, I don’t’, he agreed. ‘But you do.’

My ears burned as I took a deep breath. ‘I-’

He continued. ‘My suffering, the deaths of billions including everyone I’ve ever cared about, the destruction of a world…’ he paused. ‘It’s all on your head.’

I felt nauseous, biting my lip as I looked down at my trembling hands.

‘You’re right…’

Their lives, his world…the story I wrote just for a release.

His existence was created for the sake of suffering, a puppet whose strings I pulled, unaware of the pain in every tug…no matter how I look at it…

My stomach twisted at the thought, and my knees felt weak.

‘This is all on me.’

How could I…even if he’s fictional…how could I write something so cruel and enjoy it?

My chest tightened as hot tears stained my cheeks before sliding down to my chin and dripping onto the floor.

I’m a monster…no that would be thinking too highly of myself…I’m just as he said nothing more than a…

A weight seemed to press down on my shoulders.

‘Sadistic bastard.’ I mumbled under my breath.

There was a moment of unnerving silence, the tension in the air thickening.

‘Yeah, that’s exactly what you are.’ he concurred calmly making me wince.

His agreement made my chest ache.

I furrowed my brows, raising a hand to my face and rubbing my eyes. I started.

‘I-’

There was a loud banging on the door, jolting me from my thoughts.

I looked up in a daze, quickly wiping my face.

My voice wavered as I suppressed a sniffle to ask.

‘W-who is it?’

There was silence soon followed by the banging becoming louder and louder.

My heart pounded against my chest, each beat echoing in my ears.

I asked again, my voice growing louder.

‘Who is it?!’

The eerie silence sent a shiver down my spine.

I took a shaky breath and moved to the desk, reaching for my phone.

My fingers hovered over the phone, the screen glowing as my mind raced.

Could it be…my karma has come for…

I typed in 119 with trembling fingers.

I gulped, eyes shifting to the text on the screen as I shut my eyes.

Maybe…I can atone for my sins and finally end this pathetic excuse of a life…

A shudder ran through me as I thought of the weight of the sins I had unknowingly accumulated.

It should’ve ended that night…in the car.

Why did I survive any of this…?

What was the point?

A cold sweat prickled my neck, sliding down my back.

All I’ve experienced since then is hell.

Even the few years of success were apparently built over the blood and tears of an entire world…

They didn’t deserve any of that…so maybe this is the way to do it.

I nodded my head and whispered.

‘Maybe this is the way…you can live.

And I can make it up to you or at least give you some satisfaction…’

‘What…do you mean?’ he asked carefully.

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding.

‘There’s someone at my door who won’t answer when asked who it is…’

‘So?’ he asked confusedly.

I furrowed my brows.

‘The last time…’

I gulped as it felt like there was a lump in my throat.

‘...it was a fan of yours, a knife in hand, she came for revenge–to make me pay for hurting you. And with the last chapter…’

He chuckled. ‘Quick to send it out for someone who didn’t know what happened’.

I sighed.

‘That’s the thing…I’ve never posted it myself either. I didn’t even know until it blew up and I started getting emails about it.’

‘You-’ he started.

I cut him off.

‘This is it. I’m sorry.’

‘Wai-’.

Before he could finish his sentence, the floor creaked as I took a heavy step before bolting to the door.

The air around me felt heavy as I extended my arm.

I spread my fingers and gripped the doorknob squeezing tight as my knuckles turned white.

My breath hitched as I pursed my quivering lips.

I twisted the cold metal against my clammy palm before swinging open the door with a creak.

There…was no one-no, nothing there.

I jumped back.

‘You won’t believe this.’

I took a deep breath, waiting for an answer which didn’t come.

I asked. ‘Daekhui?’

Nothing…

Did this thing break the connection…?

‘What…’

On the other side, a void stretched out.

I gripped the door frame, peeking out to scan the surroundings.

A sharp pain suddenly shot through my skull, making me loosen my grip and tumble forward.

I flailed, instinctively reaching out for anything, but my fingers came up empty.

I tried to regain my balance but it was no use.

That moment seemed to stretch out, seeming to be playing out in slow motion.

The ground beneath my feet vanished as I plummeted into the abyss, darkness surrounding me.

The sense of falling made my stomach lurch as I plunged into the void.

The chilly air whipped past me, stinging my face as it rushed into my lungs.

The icy air stung making my breath come in ragged bursts.

Gradually, I slowed down seeming to be floating weightlessly like a leaf caught in the wind.

I gasped, cold air filling my lungs leaving me in a desperate gasp.

I tried to sit up, but the heavy darkness seemed to crash down on me.

There was a loud beep as a line of bold white text floated in the darkness.

To be continued...